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Republicans who voted for a measure to bolster the background check system for gun purchases as part of a House-passed concealed carry bill last year are withholding their predictions on whether the chamber could pass a background check measure on its own.

As lawmakers weigh legislation in the wake of the Parkland, Fla., school shooting earlier this month, Hudson is pushing for the Senate to consider his full bill, which includes the Fix NICS Act. He says his bill "protects the rights of law-abiding Americans who want to defend themselves.”

“Frankly, a lot of us, when we hear about the shooting, think, 'If I were in that situation I'd want to have my weapon,'” Hudson said.

The House in December passed legislation to allow people to use permits for carrying concealed handguns across state lines, with six centrist Democrats voting with Republicans to approve the bill, which passed two months after a deadly mass shooting on the Las Vegas strip.

Sen. John Cornyn (Texas), the No. 2 Senate Republican, has, since the Florida shooting this month, called for lawmakers to pass a bipartisan-backed bill to penalize agencies that fail to report criminal records to the NICS.

While several GOP lawmakers say bolstering the background check system is important, several declined to predict whether the House would act on such a measure by itself.